Democratisation of media has caused decentralisation of power - Journalists' Literature Festival

The second session on the last day (February 25) of the Journalists Literature Festival organised by the Chandigarh Press Club witnessed a stimulating discussion on ‘Alternative media – Strengths and Concerns’, featuring prominent journalists Jupinderjit Singh, Yadwinder Singh, Shamsher Chandel, and Rajinder Kaur. 

Asked by Rajinder Kaur what it means to be a journalist in the digital age, Chandel said, “Earlier, a reporter would file a story, and then it would go through several checks on the desk. Today, any person who has a camera can be a reporter.” 

Reporter Jupinderjit Singh objected to the use of the term “alternate media.” “These days, the so-called alternate media is very much mainstream. They get as much, if not more advertisement! In fact, these days many stories that appear in print are based on social media. In fact, I, too, depend on social media for amplification of news.” 

Dwelling on the pitfalls of social media, Jupinderjit Singh, who has written a book on Moosewala said, “A major portion of the singer’s stress was because of social media,” but still he does not prescribe censorship of anybody, even if it is a troller. 

On the removal of certain tweets by the government, he said, “If we do not like a narrative, we should offer a counter-narrative.” 

Meanwhile, Yadwinder Singh, called “alternate” is a politically loaded word, which has been celebrated especially in cinema. He prefers calling what he does “democratisation” or “decentralisation of media.” 

“This democratisation of media has brought about decentralisation of power,” he said.